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January 2013 Archives

Sam Ostarello had 14 points and 10 rebounds Thursday night to lead No. 14 Purdue to a 59-42 win over Indiana. It was the eighth double-double of the year for the senior and the 13th of her career. KK Houser and April Wilson scored 12 points apiece for the Boilermakers (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten). Taylor Manuel added 11 points for Purdue, which held a 45-30 rebounding edge. RECAP

Minnesota 82, Michigan 67

Behind a 32-point performance from sophomore Rachel Banham, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team defeated visiting Michigan, 82-67, Thursday night in Big Ten action from Williams Arena. Banham impressed from start to finish against the Wolverines, shooting 11-15 from the field, including a career-high six three-pointers and a 4-4 performance from the free thow line. She would add four rebounds, four assists and a steal to her stat line. RECAP

Michigan State 67, Northwestern 62

The Michigan State women's basketball team pulled out a 67-62 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday night, in a game that featured five ties and nine lead changes. The Spartans were led by Annalise Pickrel, who recorded her first 20-point game of the season with 21 tallies. Jasmine Thomas added 14 points for Michigan State, while Klarissa Bell chipped in 10. RECAP

Illinois 74, Iowa 62The Illinois women's basketball team utilized a balanced scoring attack in which four starters scored in double-digits, to earn a 74-62 victory over the visiting No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes. The victory marked the first conference win inside Assembly Hall for the Orange and Blue. With the score tied at 60-60 with 5:31 left in the game, the Illini produced a 14-2 run to put the Hawkeyes away. Karisma Penn led the squad with 18 points and eight rebounds. RECAP

Wisconsin 63, Penn State 61The Wisconsin women's basketball team edged No. 7/8 Penn State, 63-61 on Thursday night and snapped an 11-game Lady Lion winning streak. Tiera Stephen converted on a rebound and a layup with five seconds remaining to lift the Badgers to the win. Morgan Paige led Wisconsin with a game-high 33 points, while Jacki Gulzynski joined her double digits with 16. RECAP

Nebraska 62, Ohio State 53

Jordan Hooper erupted for 28 points and seven rebounds to lead the Nebraska women's basketball team to a 62-53 win over Ohio State at Value City Arena on Thursday night. With the victory, Nebraska improved to 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State slipped to 11-10 overall and 1-7 in the conference. The Huskers notched their third Big Ten road win and recorded their first-ever win at Value City Arena. RECAP

Seven Big Ten standouts were named to midseason watch lists for various national honors on Thursday. Each list is comprised of 12 players, with the winners announced at the College Basketball Awards banquet on April 15.

Four student-athletes were selected to the Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List, which is awarded annually to the national player of the year, more than any other conference. Indiana was one of two programs with two players named to the list in Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller, while Michigan's Trey Burke and Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas were also selected to the midseason list. Six Big Ten players have been named the USBWA National Player of the Year, with Ohio State's Evan Turner the most recent recipient in 2010.

Three Big Ten players were chosen to the Wayman Tisdale Midseason Watch List, which is presented to the national freshman of the year. Michigan is one of two programs with multiple standouts selected to the list, with Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas among the 12 selected, which also includes Indiana's Kevin (Yogi) Ferrell. Michigan's Chris Webber and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger won USBWA National Freshman of the Year in 1992 and 2011, respectively.

Four Big Ten student-athletes were named Capital One First Team Academic All-District performers, it was announced on Thursday. The four standouts are now eligible to earn Academic All-America recognition, which will be announced on Feb. 21. Indiana's Jordan Hulls and Cody Zeller and Ohio State's Aaron Craft make up 60 percent of the District 5 first team, while Wisconsin's Jared Berggren was named to the District 6 first team. It is the second time Craft and Berggren have been named first team All-District performers.

Indiana 97, Purdue 60Cody Zeller scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half, Christian Watford added 17 points and No. 3 Indiana routed rival Purdue 97-60 on Wednesday night to hand the Boilermakers their worst loss at Mackey Arena. The Hoosiers (19-2, 7-1 Big Ten) have won four straight overall and five consecutive road games in league play dating to last season. They remained tied for the Big Ten lead with No. 1 Michigan. Purdue (11-10, 4-4) was led by freshman center A.J. Hammons, who had a career-high 30 points, but couldn't avoid a second straight home loss to the Hoosiers. The Boilermakers have lost only twice in their last six games. RECAP

Michigan 68, Northwestern 46Behind a 61-percent first-half shooting mark and four players finishing in double-digit scoring, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 1 AP, No. 2 ESPN/USA Today) raced past Northwestern, 68-46, on Wednesday night inside Crisler Center. The Wolverines shot 25-of-49 (51 percent) from the floor in the game, including 6-of-15 (40 percent) from behind the arc while holding the Wildcats to 19-of-51 (37 percent) from the field. Fourteen of U-M's 25 field goals were assisted, and exactly half (34-of-68) the Wolverines' points were scored in the paint. Sophomore guard Trey Burke led the team with 18 points and eight assists, while junior/sophomore forward Jon Horford finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. RECAP

Ten Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the latest Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, announced on Wednesday. Northwestern leads the way for ranked conference squads at No. 14, while Michigan and Nebraska join the Wolverines in the top 20 at No. 16 and No. 17, respectively. Purdue checks in at No. 26, followed by Illinois at No. 31 and Minnesota at No. 41. Penn State jumps a spot to No. 48, Indiana holds the No. 51 ranking, Ohio State sits at No. 55 and Wisconsin rounds out the poll at No. 75.

Eight Big Ten men's tennis teams appear in the latest Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, released on Wednesday. Ohio State leads the way for conference squads at No. 4, while Michigan and Illinois join them in the top 25 at No. 20 and No. 25, respectively. Indiana checks in at No. 33, Northwestern follows at No. 34 and Minnesota holds the No. 37 spot. Michigan State sits at No. 40 and Purdue is ranked No. 68.

Seven Big Ten women's swimming teams are ranked in the latest CSCAA Top 25, it was released on Wednesday. Indiana leads the way for conference squads, coming in at No. 13. Michigan and Minnesota are tied for the No. 16 spot, while Wisconsin is tied with Notre Dame for No. 19. Ohio State comes in at No. 21 while Penn State sits at No. 24 and Purdue rounds out the poll at No. 25.

Five women's gymnastics teams hold top 25 marks in the latest GymInfo poll, announced on Tuesday. Michigan checks in at No. 3, while Nebraska holds the No. 7 spot. Minnesota is ranked No. 10, while Ohio State sits at No. 18 and Illinois follows at No. 19.

All seven Big Ten men's gymnastics squads are ranked in the top 10 in the most recent GymInfo poll, released on Tuesday. Penn State holds the top spot for the second consecutive week, while Michigan follows at No. 2. Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska take the No. 5, No. 6, No.7, No. 8 and No. 9 spots, respectively.

For the ninth consecutive week, six Big Ten teams are receiving votes in the latest Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches polls, including two teams in the top 15 of each poll. In the AP poll, Penn State leads the way at No. 7, followed by Purdue at No. 14 and Iowa at No. 24. The Lady Lions check in at No. 8 in the coaches poll, while the Boilermakers are ranked No. 11 and the Hawkeyes round out the ranking at No. 25. Michigan and Nebraska are receiving votes in both rankings, while Michigan State is receiving votes from the AP.

#11/11 Ohio State 58, Wisconsin 49Deshaun Thomas scored 25 points, including 10 during a game-breaking 15-0 second-half run, to lead No. 11 Ohio State past Wisconsin 58-49 on Tuesday night. The leading scorer in the Big Ten, Thomas took over the game as both teams tried to gain leverage in a typically physical matchup between them. The victory moved Ohio State into third place in the Big Ten and dropped Wisconsin two games off the pace set by co-leaders Indiana and Michigan. Traevon Jackson, the son of Buckeyes great Jimmy Jackson, led the Badgers with 12 points in the arena where his dad's jersey hangs from the rafters. RECAP

#23/24 Minnesota 84, Nebraska 65Minnesota jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first seven minutes of Tuesday's game against Nebraska, and never looked back during an 84-65 win versus the Cornhuskers. Senior forward Rodney Williams Jr. helped the Gophers snap a four-game losing streak with a season-high 23 points, while sophomore guard Andre Hollins added 14 points and junior guard Austin Hollins finished with 13 points and five assists. Nebraska was led by Ray Gallegos, who netted a career-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-9 three-pointers. RECAP

In addition to appearing in the preseason National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason poll, Michigan and Northwestern also received votes in the first ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, released on Tuesday. The Wolverines appear at No. 13 after ending the 2012 campaign as the 15th ranked team in the nation, while the Wildcats are among other squads also receiving votes. Michigan appears at No. 15 in the NFCA rankings, while Northwestern is receiving votes from the coaches.

Northwestern 53, Indiana 39Northwestern cruised by Indiana
Monday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena,
limiting the Hoosiers to just 21.0 percent from the field in the 53-39
Wildcat victory. Indiana was unable to match up against NU's defensive
tactics and finished just 13-of-62 from the field. NU saw three players
score in the double digits. Senior center Danielle Diamant had a
team-high 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists while freshman
forward Maggie Lyon wasn't far behind with 13 points, four rebounds and
three assists. Senior forward Kendall Hackney ontributed 11 points and
also had seven rebounds and two assists. RECAP

Illinois 91, Minnesota 86The
Fighting Illini moved to 4-0 on the road in conference play this season
with a 91-86 victory over Minnesota at Williams Arena on Monday night.
Illinois withstood multiple Golden Gopher runs in the second half to
hold on to the victory. Karisma Penn led the Illini with 21 points and
12 rebounds, while Adrienne Godbold also had a double-double with 18
points and 11 rebounds. RECAP

#7/8 Indiana 75, #13/11 Michigan State 70No. 7/8 Indiana held No. 13/11 Michigan State scoreless for the final 3:32 of the game by way of three clutch plays from Cody Zeller in the closing minutes, to go along with a big game from Victor Oladipo for a 75-70 win. Oladipo finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three blocks, leading the seventh-ranked Hoosiers to a 75-70 victory over No. 13 Michigan State. Indiana (18-2, 6-1 Big Ten) has won three straight since a Jan. 25 loss to Wisconsin. It has won back-to-back games over the Spartans after ending a six-game losing streak in the series. The Hoosiers picked up their ninth win in Assembly Hall over a Top 25 foe during the past 24 months, and their latest victory helped break up a three-way logjam atop the Big Ten. RECAP

#2/3 Michigan 74, Illinois 60The University of Michigan men's basketball team had four players score in double figures as it took down Illinois, 74-60, for the best start to a season (19-1) in program history on Sunday night inside Assembly Hall. The Wolverines shot 24-of-48 (50 percent) from the floor in the game while holding the Illini to 18-of-49 (37 percent). Sophomore guard Trey Burke scored a game-high 19 points, while freshman guard Nik Stauskas added 14. Junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and freshman guard Glenn Robinson III rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points apiece. RECAP

Purdue 65, Iowa 62 (OT)Terone Johnson had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Ronnie Johnson scored 15 to lead Purdue to a 65-62 victory over Iowa on Sunday. Donnie Hale had 12 points and five rebounds and D.J. Byrd had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Boilermakers (11-9, 4-3 Big Ten), who have won four of their last five. Mike Gesell had 18 points to lead the Hawkeyes. Roy Devyn Marble, Aaron White and Melsahn Basabe each scored 12 points for Iowa (13-7, 2-5). Basabe also had eight rebounds. Purdue never trailed in overtime. Ronnie Johnson scored the go-ahead basket with 1:27 left in overtime to give Purdue a 61-59 lead. The Hawkeyes missed two free throws and two field goals and Byrd extended the lead with two free throws with 30 seconds left to make it 63-59. RECAP

Penn State 71, Ohio State 56The #8/8 Penn State Lady Lions
rallied from an
11-point deficit early in the second half on the way to a 71-56 win at
Ohio State Sunday afternoon. The victory is the
school-record 14th consecutive Big Ten regular-season win for the Lady
Lions, surpassing the previous mark of 13 set over the 1992-93 and
1993-94 campaigns. PSU is now 7-0 in conference play for the first time
since 2004-05 and at 17-2 overall is off to its best start since the
1993-94 squad went 22-2 to open the year. The Lady Lions have also won
11-straight games overall, the sixth-longest streak in school history.
Senior center Nikki Greene continued her solid play with her fourth
double-double
of the season and 13th of her career with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Junior guard Maggie Lucas scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the
second half
and also added four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Senior guard
Alex Bentley chipped in 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and two
steals in the win. RECAP

Iowa 63, Michigan 57Late
production by sophomore Bethany Doolittle highlighted a comeback for
the Hawkeyes during a 63-57 victory in front
of 2,607 in Crisler Arena. It is the second loss in the Big Ten
Conference for the Wolverines, who entered the game rated No. 23 in the
nation.
Iowa won its third game in a row and improves to 16-5 overall, 5-2 in
the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have won 2-of-3 league games on the road this
season. Michigan is 16-4, 5-2.
Doolittle scored a team-high and career-high 19 points of 9-of-15
shooting from the field and 1-of-1 from the line along with pulling in
four rebounds. Iowa senior Jaime Printy added 14 points with five
rebounds. She was 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sophomore Samantha
Logic scored 10 points with eight assists and six rebounds. Senior
center Morgan Johnson pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go with
six points. RECAP

Nebraska 64, Northwestern 49With Andre Almeida sidelined by injury, Nebraska's other two seniors stepped up big to lead the Huskers to their first home win in Big Ten Conference play with a 64-49 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Dylan Talley paced Nebraska with 20 points, while tying his season high with eight rebounds. The 20 points marked Talley's career high in a Big Ten game and his fourth 20-point effort of the season. Ubel added 14 points and 12 rebounds, posting his fourth double-double of the season and first in conference play. His 12 rebounds were one shy of his career high, but marked a career high for a league game. RECAP

#14/15 Ohio State 65, Penn State 51Sam Thompson scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and No. 14 Ohio State took advantage of cold-shooting Penn State in a 65-51 victory Saturday. Deshaun Thomas added 11 points, well below his Big Ten-leading average of 20.5. Thompson picked up the slack against the Nittany Lions, who went 11-plus minutes of the first half without a field goal. Ohio State (15-4, 5-2 Big Ten) gradually asserted control in the second half, though scrappy Penn State (8-12, 0-8) tried to hang around with defense and got within 10 points with 2:41 remaining. RECAP

Wisconsin 45, #12/14 Minnesota 44

Wisconsin sophomore Traevon Jackson, this season has been a maturation process. Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center, Jackson's growth took a big step. Jackson sank UW's final two baskets, including the game winner with just 2.1 seconds remaining to snatch a 45-44 win over 12th-ranked Minnesota at the Kohl Center on Saturday. "I don't have any fear," Jackson said. "You've got to want the ball and to help this team out. Every guy on our team wants the ball at the end of the game." RECAP

#2/3 Michigan 68, Purdue 53In a game featuring 16 lead changes and four ties, the University of Michigan men's basketball team used a 14-2 second-half run to pull away and knock off the Purdue Boilermakers, 68-53, Thursday at Crisler Center. The Maize and Blue outscored Purdue, 36-20, in the second half while shooting 54 percent from the floor (14-of-26) over the final 20 minutes. Four Wolverines scored in double figures, with sophomore guard Trey Burke scoring 15, junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. notching 13, and freshman guard Nik Stauskas and freshman forward Glenn Robinson III each tallying 12. Burke also added eight assists, while Robinson led the team with nine rebounds. RECAP

Penn State 64, Minnesota 59The #8/8 Penn State Lady Lions used four free throws from junior Maggie Lucas and two steals from fellow junior Dara Taylor to secure a hard-fought 64-59 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. With the
victory, Penn State has won 13 consecutive Big Ten regular-season games
to tie a school record. Additionally, the Lady Lions improve to 6-0 in
Big Ten play for the first time since 2004-05. Senior Nikki Greene became the 35th player in school history to surpass the
1,000-point plateau with nine tallies. Penn State now has three players
in the starting lineup with 1,000 career points (Maggie Lucas and Alex Bentley). Additionally, Greene was big on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds for her fifth consecutive game with double digit rebounds.
Lucas netted her 40th career 20-point game for the Lady Lions
scoring 26 points, including going 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The
junior, who shot 50 percent from the field and made her 250th career
three-pointer, filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists,
three steals and a blocked shots. RECAP

Michigan 61, Indiana 43The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team used
double-figure scoring games from a quartet of Wolverines, led by senior
forward Rachel Sheffer with 19 points, to knock off Indiana, 61-43, on Thursday night at Assembly Hall.
Senior forward Nya Jordan recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring 10 points to go with 11 rebounds. Senior guard Kate Thompson went for 13 points, and senior guard Jenny Ryan chipped in 10 points.RECAP

Iowa 71, Wisconsin 60Jaime Printy scored 14 consecutive points in a span of 3:33 to lead Iowa from a
one-point deficit to a 10-point lead in what turned into a 71-60 Hawkeye
victory. Printy scored a game-high 29 points, but it was her statistics line
during the final 20 minutes that sticks out: 5-of-5 from the field,
2-of-2 from 3-point range, 10-of-11 from the free throw line, six
rebounds.
Three other Hawkeyes -- Melissa Dixon, Bethany Doolittle and Theairra Taylor -- scored 10 points apiece. Doolittle had a team-high three blocked
shots, and her seven rebounds were third among Hawkeyes behind Samantha Logic with nine and Printy with eight. RECAP

Nebraska 59, Michigan State 54Jordan Hooper scored 25 points to lead Nebraska to a 59-54 win over No. 25 Michigan State Thursday night. Lindsey Moore had 12 points and six assists for Nebraska (14-6, 4-3
Big Ten). Hooper also had seven rebounds for the Cornhuskers, who led
most of the way. Nebraska was ahead 30-23 at halftime and never trailed after that, and led by 10 with just over a minute to play. RECAPPurdue 77, Northwestern 73Courtney Moses scored 26 points and No. 15 Purdue held on to beat Northwestern 77-73 Thursday night. Taylor Manuel scored 16 points and Sam Ostarello had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Boilermakers (16-3, 5-1), who
bounced back from their first Big Ten loss on Sunday at Iowa. Drey Mingo also had 10 points for Purdue. Northwestern trailed by 19 in the second half, but closed within 71-69
with 28 seconds to play after Dannielle Diamant's 3-pointer. Moses made
four free throws and Ostarello hit a pair in the final 25 seconds for
Purdue. RECAP

#7/8 Indiana 72, Penn State 49Cody Zeller didn't get a chance to carry Indiana on Wednesday night. Victor Oladipo, Yogi Ferrell and the Hoosiers' defense took care of it. With Zeller scoring a career-low two points and failing to make a basket for the first time since arriving in Bloomington, Oladipo finished with 19 points and Ferrell added a season-high 15 to lead the seventh-ranked Hoosiers to a 72-49 rout of Penn State. "Cody did a lot of other things to impact the game and that's why he's such a great player," Oladipo said. "He might have a slow night today, but he played tremendous defense. He still had 10 deflections and rebounded the ball. Sure we've got to step it up a little bit when he plays that, we've just got to play together." RECAP

Northwestern 55, #12/14 MinnesotaNorthwestern used an aggressive 18-4 run during the second half to catch the Minnesota Golden Gophers and eventually build a nine-point lead as it picked up its second win over a ranked opponent this week with a 55-48 upset of the Big Ten foes. Jared Swopshire poured in a game-high 16 points and added a team-high eight rebounds to help the Wildcats pick up their first conference win of the season in front of the crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Senior Reggie Hearn added 13 points in the victory, while sophomore Tre Demps added 10 points, including a pair on a pretty jumper to beat the buzzer at the end of the first half. RECAP

Former Ohio State men's soccer standout Roger Espinoza made his Barclays Premier League debut with the Wigan Athletic last week and the midfielder was impressive in his first game against Sunderland.

"I was very pleased with his role," said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez. "Roger had a massive impact when he came off the bench, getting involved in all the good things we produced going forward."

The former Buckeye made headlines this past summer as an Olympian on Honduras' national team. Espinoza received a standing ovation from the English crowd when leaving the field due to a red card in the 90th minute. He had been the heart and soul of a relentless Honduran side in their quarterfinal match against Brazil, as he helped set up the Hondurans' first goal and scored the second.

During his time at Ohio State he led the Buckeyes to the 2007 Big Ten Tournament Championship and the NCAA title game as a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

Four women's gymnastics teams hold Top 25 marks in the latest GymInfo poll, announced on Tuesday. Michigan claims the No. 1 spot, while Nebraska takes the No. 6 ranking. Minnesota clocks in at No. 12 and Ohio State rounds out conference squads in the poll at No. 19.

All seven Big Ten men's gymnastics squads are ranked in the most recent GymInfo poll, released on Tuesday. Penn State holds the top spot, while Michigan clocks in at No. 3. Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska take the No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9 spots.

Seven teams represent the conference in the latest CSCAA Top 25 poll, released on Tuesday. Michigan is tied for the top spot, while Indiana and Ohio State join the Wolverines in the top 10 at No. 8 and No 10, respectively. Minnesota holds the No. 15 spot, while Purdue, Penn State and Iowa follow at No. 18, No. 19 and No. 20.

Ten Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the latest Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, announced on Tuesday. The conference is led by No. 14 Northwestern, followed by No. 16 Michigan and No. 17 Nebraska. Purdue and Illinois check in at No. 26 and No. 27, respectively, while Minnesota is tied for the No. 41 spot. Penn State jumps a spot to No. 49, while Indiana is next at No. 50. Ohio State holds the No. 58 spot, while Wisconsin rounds out conference teams in the rankings at No. 74.

Seven Big Ten teams appear in the latest Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, released on Tuesday. Ohio State leads the way for conference squads at No. 4, while Illinois, Michigan and Indiana join them in the top 25 at No. 16, No. 20 and No. 23, respectively. Minnesota checks in at No. 34, while Northwestern holds the No. 37 spot and Michigan State stands at No. 47.

Illinois 71, Nebraska 51D.J. Richardson scored a career-high 30 points, Brandon Paul added 14 and Illinois ended a three-game losing streak with a 71-51 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday night. Illinois (15-5, 2-4 Big Ten) held Nebraska without a field goal for the last 8:51 of the first half and led 35-23 at the break. The Huskers got no closer than six points the rest of the way. Dylan Talley had 16 points and Brandon Ubel added 10 for the Cornhuskers (10-10, 1-6). John Groce, in his first year at Illinois, recorded his 100th win in five seasons as a head coach. RECAP

Ohio State 72, Iowa 63Deshaun Thomas, who missed part of the second half with a cut above his eye, scored 16 points and No. 14 Ohio State built a big lead and then held on to beat Iowa 72-63 on Tuesday night. Thomas, the Big Ten's leading scorer at 21 points per game, sat out about 3 minutes while an open cut over his right eye was bandaged. The Buckeyes (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten) led by 24 points with under 13 minutes left but watched as Iowa cut the lead to four with 1:30 remaining. Aaron White, an Ohio native playing his first college game in his home state, had 13 points for Iowa (13-6, 2-4). RECAP

Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 47higan State coach Tom Izzo says some teams make the mistake of trying to speed up Wisconsin. Instead, the 13th-ranked Spartans decided to grind the Badgers down. Keith Appling scored 19 points and Branden Dawson added 18 while grabbing 13 rebounds to lead Michigan State to a 49-47 victory over Wisconsin in a defensive struggle Tuesday night. "They don't turn it over. I don't care who they're playing," said Izzo, whose team finished with 10 turnovers, one more than Wisconsin. "So we said we have to play like them in that respect. We wanted to run, but we wanted to be solid with the ball, and I think we did a good of that." RECAP

Three Big Ten women's basketball standouts were named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, it was announced on Tuesday. Ohio State's Tayler Hill and Penn State's Alex Bentley and Maggie Lucas were selected to the prestigious list, which is comprised of players who based on their performances in November, December and January, are the frontrunners for selection to the ballot of college basketball's top award. Penn State is one of six schools to have multiple players named to the list.

For the eighth consecutive week, at least six Big Ten women's basketball squads are ranked or receiving votes in the latest national polls. Penn State leads the way for conference teams, checking in at No. 8 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Poll. Purdue follows, clocking in at No. 13 in the USA Today ranking and No. 15 in the AP Poll. In the AP poll, Michigan sits at No. 23, while Michigan State rounds out the ranking at No. 25 and Iowa and Nebraska are receiving votes. The Hawkeyes, Wolverines, Spartans and Huskers are also receiving votes in the USA Today poll.

Three Big Ten men's soccer players were selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft, held Tuesday. Ohio State's Chris Hegngi was chosen with the 22nd pick by the Portland Timbers, Penn State's John Gallagher was picked by the Chicago Fire with the 30th selection and Indiana's Caleb Konstanski was drafted No. 68, also by the Fire.

Hegngi played in all 79 career games, making 77 starts, and had 18 goals and 11 assists to his credit. The 2011 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and first-team selection produced career goals and points totals which are in the top 10 all-time at Ohio State, while his shots are second in program history.

Gallagher was selected as a captain for the 2012 Penn State squad that captured the program's first Big Ten regular-season championship since 2005. After transitioning to left back from midfield as a senior, Gallagher posted a career-high five points on three assists and a goal while handling set piece responsibilities on the way to earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Konstanski served as a team co-captain for the Hoosiers in 2012 where he helped anchor a defense that posted 12 shutouts on the season, including three-straight shutout wins over North Carolina, Creighton and Georgetown en route Indiana's record eighth College Cup title.

Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh has been named National Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), it was announced on Friday. The award is the second national honor for the coach, as she was named Soccer America National Coach of the Year three days prior. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to a record 15th consecutive Big Ten title, their second-straight 20-win season and the College Cup title game for the first time in program history.

Michigan and Northwestern are receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25, which was released on Tuesday afternoon. Both the Wolverines and Wildcats advanced to the postseason a year ago, with Michigan advancing to the Super Regional round. Michigan opens the year at No. 15 in the rankings, while Northwestern is among other squads also receiving votes.

Penn State 59, Michigan 49 The #8/8 Penn State Lady Lions (15-2, 5-0 Big Ten) used a late 12-0
run to secure a 59-49 win over the #23/RV Michigan Wolverines (15-3,
4-1) Monday night to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten
and secure their spot as the lone unbeaten team in Big Ten play (men or
women). With the win, the Lady Lions extended their winning streak to
nine games and snapped Michigan's streak at 10-straight wins. Penn State
improves to 15-2 on the season, the best start since the 1999-00 squad
started 16-2. Junior guard Maggie Lucas connected on a trio of threes en route to 19 points with four rebounds and a steal, while Alex Bentley chipped in 16 points with a pair of rebounds, three assists and a game-best five steals. Senior center Nikki Greene posted her fourth consecutive double digit rebounding
performance with 11 caroms to go with eight points and three blocks.
Fellow senior Mia Nickson contributed seven points, including two key buckets in
PSU's 12-3 run to end the game. Nickson also had four rebounds, a block
and two steals. RECAP

Michigan State 56, Indiana 46The Michigan State women's basketball team continued its success at
Assembly Hall, winning its 10th straight game in the building with a
56-46 win over Indiana on Sunday. Sophomore Kiana Johnson posted 15 points, five assists and four steals, all team highs, while
playing 36 minutes off the bench. The Spartans improve to 16-2 overall
and 4-1 in the Big Ten. RECAPNorthwestern 62, Illinois 58Northwestern played in-state rival Illinois for the second time in 11
days and picked up the 62-58 victory Sunday afternoon in Champaign. It
was a close battle throughout with six lead changes and eight ties but
the 'Cats broke a 58-58 tie late in the game by scoring the final four
points. Four Wildcats finished in double-figures, as senior forward Kendall Hackney
led NU with 21 points. Alex Cohen posted her first career double-double,
scoring a career-high 12 points to go with another career-best 10
rebounds. Maggie Lyon chipped in 11 points while Dannielle Diamant had 13 points, including 7-of-10 from the free throw line. RECAP

Wisconsin 68, Ohio State 49Wisconsin used a strong second half to earn a commanding 68-49 win over the Buckeyes at the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon. Morgan Paige led all scorers with 28 points and Jacki Gulczynski scored all 14 of her points in the second half. Wisconsin used tough defense to put a stop to the league's leading
scorer, Tayler Hill, to 16 points, nearly five points below her season
average. RECAP

Iowa 62, Purdue 46 Iowa improved to
5-0 against ranked teams this season with a 62-46 win against No. 11
Purdue on Sunday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win
boosted the Hawkeyes to 14-5 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten Conference; it
was win No. 600 for head coach Lisa Bluder, who is now 244-149 at the UI.
Iowa is now 5-0 against ranked opponents this season, including two wins
over top-15 teams (No. 11 Purdue, No. 12 West Virginia). RECAP

Nebraska 84, Minnesota 63Nebraska played its most complete game of the season, rolling to an 84-63 win over Minnesota at Williams Arena on Sunday evening. Senior Lindsay Moore put together her best game of the year with a season-high 26 points and a season-high seven rebounds to go along with seven assists and three steals. Moore hit 9-of-15 shots from the field, including 2-of-5 three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws. Jordan Hooper added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Emily Cady contributed her third double-double in Big Ten play with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. RECAP

#2/2 Indiana 67, Northwestern 59Cody Zeller scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and No. 2 Indiana beat Northwestern 67-59 on Sunday. Jordan Hulls added 15 points. Christian Watford scored 14, and the Hoosiers (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) hung on after things got tense down the stretch. They led by as much as 17 in the first half and were up 31-17 at intermission, but Northwestern (11-8, 2-4) rattled them with its trap in the second. The Wildcats pulled within five three times, but the Hoosiers prevailed after seeing a six-game win streak end with a loss to Wisconsin last week. RECAP

Nebraska 68, Penn State 64Behind a career-high 29 points from freshman Shavon Shields, Nebraska snapped a five-game losing streak with a 68-64 win over Penn State Saturday afternoon. Shields enjoyed a career afternoon in front of the national television audience, hitting 10-of-11 shots from the field and going 8-for-8 from the foul line, as he eclipsed his career high for the second straight game. His 29 points against the Nittany Lions was one off Nebraska's freshman record for points, and the 6-foot-6 forward added six rebounds. RECAP

Purdue 79, West Virginia 52D.J. Byrd scored 17 points to help Purdue defeat West Virginia 79-52 on Saturday afternoon. Rapheal Davis added 16 points, Anthony Johnson 12 and Terone Johnson 11 for the Boilermakers, who won their third straight. Purdue shot 49 percent from the field and outrebounded the Mountaineers 44-34. Eron Harris scored 10 points for West Virginia, which barely surpassed its season low of 50 points. Harris was the only Mountaineers player to reach double figures. The Mountaineers have lost three straight and four of five. RECAP

Michigan State 59, Ohio State 56Keith Appling made two free throws with 7.9 seconds left and finished with 15 points to help No. 18 Michigan State beat No. 11 Ohio State 59-56 on Saturday night. The Buckeyes had a chance to potentially tie the game in the closing seconds, but Shannon Scott didn't come close on a running 3-point attempt. Deshaun Thomas, who scored a career Big Ten-high 28 points, was upset Scott didn't pass him the ball. Thomas wanted a shot to send the game into overtime after he had made six 3-pointers in regulation. RECAP

Iowa 70, Wisconsin 66It was a good thing the University of Iowa men's basketball team built a 20 point first half lead and led by 16 at the half because Wisconsin kept coming. The Badgers outscored the Hawkeyes by 12 points in the second half and got it to within a single possession at 66-63 with 22.5 seconds remaining, but Iowa held on for the 70-66 victory on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena to hand Wisconsin its first Big Ten loss. RECAP

Three Big Ten women's soccer players were taken in the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) draft on Friday in Indianapolis, Ind. Penn State's Christine Nairn was selected seventh overall by the Seattle Reign FC, while the Boston Breakers chose her teammate Maddy Evans with the 29th pick. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer was also drafted by the Seattle Reign FC with the 31st selection.

Nairn and Evans led the Nittany Lions to their 15th consecutive Big Ten title in 2012 and a first-ever trip to the national championship match. Nairn was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and collected Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors after leading Penn State in points (35), goals (13), shots (71) and assists (9) this season. Evans also anchored the Nittany Lion midfield, where she collected second-team All-Big Ten laurels for her contributions.

Kopmeyer led the Wolverines to the round of 16 in the NCAA Championship and also took home the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award after leading the conference in shutouts (9), with six in Big Ten play. The senior also ranked second in goals-against average (0.66) and save percentage (.854) in all games.

The National Women's Soccer League is an eight team league set to begin play in the spring of 2013. The NWSL was formed after the Women's Professional Soccer League dissolved in 2012.

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien has been selected the 2012 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, earning his third national coaching honor. The Bear Bryant Awards are named in honor of college football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant and is voted on by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. O'Brien is the fifth Big Ten coach to earn the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award.

O'Brien previously was named the Maxwell Football Club and ESPN Coach of the Year. He also was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). He also was a finalist for the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year. O'Brien was named the Big Ten's Dave McClain Coach of the Year (media) and Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (coaches). The Brown University graduate was just the seventh first-year head coach to earn the Big Ten-Dave McClain Coach of the Year in the 41 years it has been awarded.

Named Penn State's 15th head football coach on January 6, 2012, O'Brien led the Nittany Lions to victories in eight of their final 10 games, earning an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten, with the only losses coming to division winners Ohio State and Nebraska. Penn State capped the season with a 24-21 overtime victory over eventual Big Ten Champion Wisconsin on Senior Day. O'Brien's eight wins are the most by a first-year Penn State coach in the 126 years of the program.

Michigan State 65, Iowa 54The Michigan State women's basketball team closed the game on a 14-3 run over the final 3:37 to pull away from Iowa, 65-54 tonight at the Breslin Center. The Spartans, who improve to 15-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten, were led by Klarissa Bell's career-high 25 points and nine rebounds. RECAP

Ohio State 68, Indiana 45Ohio State righted the ship and recorded its first Big Ten victory
with a 68-45 win over visiting Indiana tonight at Value City Arena. Tayler Hill led
four Buckeyes in double-figures with 15 points and eight rebounds as
the Buckeyes improved to 1-4 in the Big Ten and 11-7 overall. Indiana
falls to 10-7 and 1-3 in the Big Ten. RECAP

Penn State 84, Wisconsin 40The #8/8 Penn State Lady Lions (14-2, 4-0 Big Ten) jumped out to an
11-0 lead and never looked back in an 84-40 wire-to-wire victory over
the Wisconsin Badgers (8-10, 0-5) on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan
Center. The 44-point victory is the largest for the Lady Lions in a Big
Ten game since defeating Michigan State by 48 (97-49) on Jan. 28, 2001.
Additionally, Penn State has won its last three games by 20 or more
points for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Leading the way for the Lady Lions was senior Nikki Greene, who scored 23 points to go along with 14 rebounds for
her 12th career double-double and fifth career 20-point game. RECAP

Illinois 62, Nebraska 52Illinois forced Nebraska into a season-high 26 turnovers and held on for
a 62-52 win at the Devaney Center, as the Illini won their
third-straight Big Ten road game for the first time since 2000-01 and
their first victory in Lincoln in school history. Senior guard Adrienne Godbold led all scorers, putting in 19 points in only 25 minutes while added seven rebounds. Senior forward Karisma Penn contributed 12 points and 18 rebounds, including a career-high 10
offensive boards, for her ninth double-double of the season and 37th of
her career. Sophomore guard Ivory Crawford added 15 points, six rebounds and four steals for the Illini. RECAPMichigan 67, Northwestern 53Behind a school-record seven three-pointers from senior guard Kate Thompson,
the No. 25-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team won
its 10th consecutive game with a 67-53 victory over Northwestern on
Thursday night (Jan. 17) at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Michigan is now 4-0 in Big
Ten action for the first time in school history.
Thompson led the way for Michigan offensively, scoring 23 points on
7-for-14 shooting from the field, including a 7-for-10 showing from
behind the arc. Senior forward Nya Jordanjoined her in double figures, scoring 12 points with eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Nicole Elmblad scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds. RECAP

Michigan 83, Minnesota 75The University of Michigan men's basketball team used double-digit runs in both halves to take down Minnesota, 83-75, on Thursday night inside Williams Arena. Junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr., sophomore guard Trey Burke and freshman guard Nik Stauskas all finished in double-digit scoring with 21, 18, and 11 points, respectively. Michigan shot 28-of-51 (55 percent) from the floor, including 10-of-20 (50 percent) from behind the arc, while Minnesota recorded 25-of-52 (48 percent) in the game. Nineteen of U-M's 28 field goals were assisted, and 24 points were scored off 15 Gopher turnovers. RECAP

Northwestern 68, Illinois 54Reggie Hearn scored a team-high 20 points and Northwestern led wire to wire in rolling to a 68-54 victory over No. 23/22 Illinois at Assembly Hall Thursday evening. Hearn paced a balanced scoring attack as NU had five players in double figures. Jared Swopshire and Alex Marcotullio scored 12 apiece, while Dave Sobolewski and Tre Demps each had 10. It was the second-consecutive victory for Northwestern at Assembly Hall. RECAP

Three Big Ten men's soccer players were selected in the 2013 Major League Soccer SuperDraft held in Indianapolis, Ind., today. Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta was picked 10th overall by the Seattle Sounders, while teammate Luis Soffner was chosen by the New England Revolution with the 36th pick. Michigan's Kofi Opare was taken 24th overall by the L.A. Galaxy.

Zavaleta and Soffner become the 40th and 41st Hoosier players selected in an MLS Draft since the league's inception in 1996. Zavaleta, a unanimous selection for 2012 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, entered the draft after his sophomore campaign in which he led the Hoosiers to their record eighth national title. He led the conference in nearly every offensive category and was tied for third in the NCAA with 18 goals scored. Soffner finishes his career with the Hoosiers as a four-year starter, owning a 47-26-11 record with 32 shutouts and a 0.93 goals-against average. He ended his senior season with three-straight clean sheets against North Carolina, Creighton and Georgetown en route to the College Cup title.

Opare becomes the Wolverines's seventh MLS SuperDraftee, and the first since Justin Meram went No. 15 overall in 2011. Opare was a four-year starter for Michigan on the back line and is fifth all-time in minutes played (6,411). This past season the tri-captain led the Wolverines to the Big Ten Tournament title game.

Five Big Ten women's swimming teams are ranked in the latest CSCAA Top 25 poll, it was released on Wednesday. Minnesota leads the way for conference squads, coming in at No. 13. Penn State and Ohio State follow at No. 14 and No. 15, respectively. Indiana checks in at No. 22, while Michigan rounds out the poll at No. 25. Purdue is receiving votes.

Purdue 65, Nebraska 56Terone Johnson scored 18 points to lead four Purdue players in double figures, and the Boilermakers turned back Nebraska's comeback bid in the second half to defeat the struggling Cornhuskers 65-56 on Wednesday night. A.J. Hammons added 14 points and eight rebounds, D.J. Byrd scored all 12 of his points in the second half on four 3-pointers and Ronnie Johnson had 10 points and six assists as the Boilermakers posted their first Big Ten Conference road win. RECAP

Michigan State 81, Penn State 72Adreian Payne scored 20 points after spending the first half on the bench, and No. 18 Michigan State held on for a 81-72 victory against Penn State on Wednesday night. Payne, a sturdy 6-foot-10 forward, made up for lost time by dominating the post in the second half. He had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a stretch of six-plus minutes after entering the game with about 16:30 left. Payne added a 3-pointer - only his second made 3 of the year - in the middle of a 20-8 run to help the Spartans pull ahead midway through the second half. RECAP

The Big Ten enjoyed a successful 2012 women's soccer season, capped by Penn State's run to the NCAA Division I Tournament final. The Nittany Lions captured their 15th straight regular season title, the most consecutive titles by a Big Ten women's program in any sport. In the conference tournament, second-seeded Ohio State took the crown, its third in school history.

NCAA Championship Success: Five conference squads earned berths to the NCAA Tournament, the seventh time in the last 10 years that five or more Big Ten teams were selected to the bracket. Ohio State earned the conference's automatic berth after capturing the Big Ten Tournament title, while Illinois, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin were each selected to the field. The Illini advanced to the second round, but were ousted by eventual champion, North Carolina. The Wolverines and Nittany Lions battled in the round of 16, as Penn State came out victorious in a penalty kick thriller. The Nittany Lions would go on to the national title game, losing a heartbreaker to the Tar Heels. To read more about the Big Ten in the NCAA Championship, click here and here.

We Are The Champions: For the 15th consecutive year, Penn State won the Women's Soccer Big Ten Championship, as the Nittany Lions boasted a 10-0-1 record in conference play. Second-seeded Ohio State claimed the conference tournament crown, defeating No. 5 Illinois, 2-1, in the title match. For more on the regular season conference champions, click here. To read more about the Big Ten Tournament and All-Tournament Team, click here.

Conference Postseason Accolades: The conference announced its women's soccer All-Big Ten teams and individual award winners right before the Big Ten Tournament kicked off. Penn State collected five of the six individual awards as Erica Walsh was named Coach of the Year, Maya Hayes collected Forward of the Year honors, Christine Nairn earned Midfielder of the Year status, Whitney Church was honored as Defender of the Year and Raquel Rodriguez garnered Freshman of the Year laurels. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer collected the Goalkeeper of the Year award. For more on the postseason awards and the complete All-Big Ten teams, click here.

In the Final Polls: Three conference teams earned rankings in the final NSCAA/Continental Tire poll of the season, as Big Ten Champion and national runner-up Penn State (21-4-2) led the way at No. 2. Michigan (16-5-3) clocked in at No. 19 and Ohio State (16-4-2) held the No. 23 spot. Illinois (10-9-4) was receiving votes. For the complete final poll, click here.

Where We Rank: Minnesota's Taylor Uhl and Ohio State's Tiffany Cameron led the nation in total goals scored this season, each tallying 21 scores. Uhl also led the country in total points (51) and was second in points per game (1.05), while Cameron was first in game-winning goals (9), third in goals per game (0.955) and fourth in total points (47). Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer ranked fourth in the nation in goalie minutes played (2246.41), while the Penn State team was fourth in scoring offense. For the complete season's statistics, click here.

National Names: Several conference standouts were awarded nationally for their success on and off the field during the 2012 season. Penn State's Christine Nairn was named a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, along with being a NSCAA first-team All-American and Soccer America first-team MVP selection. Teammate Maya Hayes was also a NSCAA first-team All-America pick and a Soccer America second-team MVP selection. Nittany Lion freshmen Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber were named to the Soccer America All-Freshman first team. Illinois' Vanessa DiBernardo collected second-team Soccer America MVP honors and third-team NSCAA All-America status, while Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer earned first-team Soccer America recognition and second-team NSCAA All-America laurels, along with Ohio State's Tiffany Cameron. Minnesota's Taylor Uhl also earned NSCAA third-team honors. In the classroom, DiBernardo and Ohio State's Megan Fuller were named NSCAA Scholar All-America and Minnesota's Allie Phillips collected Capital One Academic All-America accolades from CoSIDA.Congrats to the Coaches: Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh was named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to their 15th consecutive Big Ten title and their first ever trip to the national title game. Additionally, Illinois coach Janet Rayfield was announced as the first ever female to receive the NSCAA 2012 Honor Award. The Honor Award is the most prestigious distinction the NSCAA presents, as it recognizes the individual's contribution to the game of soccer and the NSCAA.

All-Region Recognition: Sixteen women's soccer players were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Team, as standouts from conference institutions made up 16 of the 33 representatives, including seven of 11 on the first team. For the complete All-Great Lakes Region team, click here.

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo will be named the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award recipient on April 15 at the 2013 Devon Energy College Basketball Awards. The Tisdale Humanitarian Award honors an individual in college basketball who has made a significant impact on society. Among his many efforts, Izzo is actively involved in raising funds for Coaches vs. Cancer, Volunteers of America, Sparrow Hospital, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The award's namesake, Wayman Tisdale, died in May 2009 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh has been named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America, it was announced on Tuesday. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to their 15th straight Big Ten regular season title and its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament final. Penn State survived a brutal non-conference schedule that included two No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed early in the season and overcame many obstacles along the way to finish with a 21-4-2 record.

Additionally, six Big Ten student-athletes earned individual accolades from Soccer America. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer and Penn State's Christine Nairn were named to the MVP first team, while the Nittany Lions' Maya Hayes and Illinois' Vanessa DiBernardo were second team MVP selections. Penn State's Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber were awarded All-Freshman first team recognition.

Wisconsin 64, #2/2 Indiana 59Ryan Evans had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Traevon Jackson added 11 points as Wisconsin upset No. 2 Indiana 64-59 on Tuesday night to take sole possession of the Big Ten lead. The Badgers (13-4, 4-0) have won seven straight and beaten two Top 15 opponents in four days. They now have 11 straight wins over the Hoosiers and five straight in Bloomington. Cody Zeller scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half to lead Indiana (15-2, 3-1), which had a six-game winning streak and an 18-game home winning streak both end. Christian Watford added 11 points as the Hoosiers finished with fewer than 60 points for the first time this season. RECAP

Three Big Ten men's gymnastics teams are ranked in the top ten of the first GymInfo poll of the regular season, it was released on Monday. Penn State and Illinois hold the first and second spots, respectively, while Nebraska comes in at No. 5.

Four Big Ten women's gymnastics squads hold top-25 marks in the first GymInfo national rankings of the regular season, it was announced on Monday. Michigan leads the way for conference teams, checking in at No. 2. Nebraska follows at No. 7, while Minnesota holds the No. 12 spot and Ohio State enters at No. 21.

Big Ten volleyball saw an eventful 2012 season come to a close at the
NCAA Championship Semifinals, with Michigan and Penn State advancing to the round of four. The Wolverines clinched their first appearance in the national semifinals, while the Nittany Lions advanced to to the semifinals for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Big Ten in the NCAA Championship: The Big Ten sent seven teams to the NCAA Championship, with three earning top-16 seeds. Penn State entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, while No. 4 Nebraska and No. 8 Minnesota were also earned seeds. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue also received bids, marking the third time in the last four years that the Big Ten had sent seven or more teams to the national tournament. Big Ten teams compiled a 19-7 record in this year's tournament, tying the all-time win total for the conference set in 2010. For a look back at the entire NCAA Championship, visit the Championship Central page HERE.Fourteen Big Ten Players Tabbed AVCA-All-Americans: Fourteen Big Ten players were selected as AVCA Division I
All-Americans, the most of any conference, with four players earning
first-team status. Minnesota's Katherine Harms, Nebraska's Lauren Cook and Penn State's Micha Hancock and Ariel Scott earned first-team honors, while Michigan State's Lauren Wicinski, Minnesota's Tori Dixon, Nebraska's Gina Mancuso and Hannah Werth, Purdue's Ariel Turner and Penn State's Katie Slay were named to the second team. Michigan's Jennifer Cross, Northwestern's Stephanie Holthus, Ohio State's Mari Hole and Penn State's Deja McClendon earned third-team honors. Four others received honorable mention -- Michigan's Lexi Erwin, Michigan State's Kori Moster, Minnesota's Ashley Wittman and Nebraska's Meghan Haggerty. For the complete teams, click HERE.

Nebraska's Mancuso, Purdue's Turner Named First-Team Academic All-America: Nebraska senior Gina Mancuso and Purdue junior Ariel Turner earned Capital One Academic All-America honors, with Turner being
named Capital One Academic All-America of the Year, the College Sports
Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday.
Mancuso, a marketing major, and Turner, a mechanical engineering major,
each received spots on the first team. The pair of Academic
All-Americans marks the second consecutive year that two conference
standouts have earned the accolade.For the complete release, click HERE.

Penn State Clinches Big Ten Championship: Penn State clinched its ninth Big Ten Championship in the last 10 years and 15th
overall, earning the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. The Nittany Lions put together a 19-1 mark in conference play en route to No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship. For the complete release, click HERE.

Postseason Recognition: The Big Ten announced its postseason volleyball awards in November, with
student-athletes from two schools earning recognition following the
conclusion of the 2012 regular season. Penn State's Ariel Scott was named the Big Ten Player of the Year by a vote of the conference's
coaches, while teammates Micha Hancock and Megan Courtney were named Big
Ten Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively.
Michigan's State's Kori Moster earned Defensive Player of the Year
honors, while Penn State's Russ Rose was tabbed Coach of the Year by Big
Ten coaches and media. For the complete release, click HERE.

In the Polls: The Big Ten led the country with seven volleyball teams ranked in the
final AVCA Division I Coaches Poll of the 2012 season, including four
top-10 squads. After reaching the NCAA
Championship semifinals, Penn State and Michigan close the season ranked third and fifth, respectively. Joining the Wolverines and Nittany Lions in the top 10 are No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Minnesota. Purdue closes the season at No. 15, while Michigan State ranks 16th. Ohio State rounds out the group of ranked teams at No. 22. For the complete poll, click HERE.

Big Ten wrestling boasts 70 ranked wrestlers in this week's
InterMat College Rankings, with four grapplers holding the No. 1 ranking
in
their respective class. Iowa 125-pounder Matt McDonough, Ohio State
133-pounder
Logan Stieber, Iowa 157-pounder Derek St. John and Penn State 184-pounder
Ed Ruth each sit in the top spot in their
weight
class' rankings. The Big Ten also boasts four of the top five squads in
the team
rankings, as Penn State checks in at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Ohio State. The complete
breakdown of ranked Big Ten teams and wrestlers can be
found below.

Purdue 82, Ohio State 75 (3 OT)Sam Ostarello had 22 points and 19 rebounds Monday night and No. 12 Purdue defeated Ohio State 82-75 in triple overtime. Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers (14-2, 3-0) with 24 points. Her layup late in the second extra period tied it at 68 after Ohio State had a 68-62 lead. All three of the Boilermakers' Big Ten wins were in overtime. Ameryst Alston, who played all 55 minutes, had 24 points for Ohio State (10-7, 0-4), off to its worst Big 10 start. The Buckeyes played without Tayler Hill, out with an illness. Hill is averaging 21.3 points, best in the conference. RECAP

Penn State's Casimir Loxsom has been named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Monday. The Nittany Lion senior posted the first sub-1:47 800-meter effort on an oversized track since 2006, clocking a time of 1:46.98 en route to first-place honors at the Nittany Lion Challenge. His performance also places him 10th among American collegians in collegiate indoor history. Loxsom was also named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

A.J. Hammons had 12 points and 10 rebounds, D.J. Byrd scored 12 points and Rapheal Davis added 10 in just his second start for the Boilermakers (8-8, 2-2 Big Ten).

#15/14 Ohio State def. #2/2 MichiganRecap & Box ScoreDeshaun Thomas had 20 points and scored the first and last baskets in a 16-0 first-half spurt and No. 15 Ohio State beat second-ranked Michigan 56-53 on Sunday, probably denying the Wolverines their first No. 1 ranking in more than 20 years.

Iowa def. Northwestern, 70-50Recap & Box ScoreAfter starting off Big Ten Conference play with an 0-3 record, the Hawkeyes notched their first league victory of the season, using a dominating defensive effort to down Northwestern, 70-50, on Sunday night inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.

#22/18 Michigan State def. Nebraska, 66-56Recap & Box ScoreDerrick Nix made two free throws with a minute left and finished with 17 points to help No. 22 Michigan State pull away for a 66-56 victory over Nebraska on Sunday night.

Michigan State 79, Illinois 75The Michigan State women's basketball team picked up a gritty Big Ten road win on Sunday, topping Illinois 79-75 in Assembly Hall. The Spartans used a 13-0 second half run to edge the recently hot Fighting Illini. Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by 18 points apiece from junior Klarissa Bell and sophomore Jasmine Hines. Hines also added a game- and career-high 13 rebounds for her first career double-double in only 22 minutes. Senior Courtney Schiffauer posted her third career double-double, all this season, with 11 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds, while sophomore Becca Mills added 10 points, all in the first half. Sophomore Kiana Johnson led the team with four assists and a season-high four steals off the bench. RECAP

Michigan 54, Wisconsin 43Using a career-high 19 points from senior guard Jenny Ryan and nine points over the final minute of the game, the University of Michigan women's basketball team won its ninth straight game with a 54-43 triumph against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon inside Crisler Center. With the victory, Michigan continues its best start in program history at 14-2 and moves to a perfect 3-0 in conference play for the first time ever. Senior forward Rachel Sheffer added nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds. Senior forward Nya Jordan chipped in seven points and six rebounds, while sophomore guard Nicole Elmblad also contributed seven points to go with three boards. RECAP

Penn State 80, Nebraska 58The #8/8 Penn State Lady Lions earned its second consecutive 20-point victory over a Big Ten opponent as they knocked off the RV/#23 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday afternoon in front of 6,098 fans at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State has knocked off two-straight Big Ten teams by 20 or more points for the first time since 2005, when it accomplished that feat against Wisconsin (76-43; 2/17/05) and Northwestern (83-56; 2/20/05). Junior guard Maggie Lucas became the 13th Lady Lion to hit the 1,500-point plateau, as she chipped in 19 tallies to go along with three steals, two rebounds and two assists. Senior Alex Bentley also added 19 points, with three of those coming on a half-court buzzer beater to close out the first half. RECAP

#5/5 Indiana def. #8/10 Minnesota, 88-81Recap & Box ScoreIndiana dazzled its fans with a first half to remember Saturday. Then the fifth-ranked Hoosiers had to survive a forgettable finish.

The nation's highest-scoring team produced only seven points in the final 4 1/2 minutes Saturday - barely enough to hold off No. 8 Minnesota's furious closing flurry and hang on for an 88-81 victory.

Wisconsin def. #12/13 Illinois, 74-51Recap & Box ScoreWisconsin's 2-0 start in Big Ten play was a result of solid defensive efforts in both contests, as the Badgers tried to counter a pair of poor shooting performances.

UW put it all together Saturday afternoon, finding its stroke while holding Illinois scoreless for the first seven minutes of action en route to a 74-51 win over the 12th-ranked Fighting Illini at the Kohl Center.

#22/18 Michigan State def. Iowa, 62-59Recap & Box ScoreJuniors Zach McCabe and Melsahn Basabe made up for the absence of leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble, but Michigan State made its free throws down the stretch to claim a 62-59 victory over the University of Iowa on Thursday night on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Northwestern def. Penn State, 70-54Recap & Box ScoreAfter falling behind early in the first half, the Penn State men's basketball team (8-7, 0-3 Big Ten) was unable to rally in the second half suffering a 70-54 loss to Northwestern (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten).

Nebraska 67, Indiana 38Rachel Theriot scored a career-high 14 points and dished out six assists, while Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady added double-doubles to lead Nebraska to a 67-38 win at Indiana on Thursday night. Theriot hit 7-of-9 shots from the field, including 5-of-5 in the first half to produce the best game of her career. Hooper added 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes for her seventh double-double of the season and 24th of her career. Cady pitched in 11 points and 10 boards for her second double-double of the year. RECAP

Minnesota 83, Ohio State 74The University of Minnesota women's basketball team got double-figure scoring from Rachel Banham, Micaëlla Riché and Kionna Kellogg to earn an 83-74 victory vs. Ohio State in its Big Ten home opener Thursday night at Williams Arena. Banham scored a team-best 24 points on 8-19 shooting from the floor and 8-9 shooting from the free throw line, while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Riché was 6-14 from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line to notch 20 points and eight rebounds, and Kellogg contributed 13 points on 5-6 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. RECAP

Illinois 65, Northwestern 47The Illinois women's basketball team downed the Northwestern Wildcats 65-47 to move to 2-1 in conference play and 9-6 overall. The Illini gained the advantage midway through the first half and never looked back, maintaining the lead over the final 30 minutes of play. Adrienne GodBold paved the way with a team high 20 points on 8-18 shooting from the field. Amber Moore and Karisma Penn followed suit with 16 and 13 points, respectively. The Orange and Blue outshot the Wildcats 33.3 percent to 30.8 percent from the floor, while Illinois capitalized on free-throw shooting, going 23-28 from the line. RECAP

Iowa 65, Wisconsin 56Fueled by a 16-3 run midway through the second half, the University of Iowa women's basketball team dumped Wisconsin 65-56 on Thursday at the Kohl Center. The Hawkeyes (13-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) received double-doubles from senior center Morgan Johnson (23 points, 11 rebounds) and sophomore guard Samantha Logic (12 points, 10 rebounds). Once again Logic flirted with a triple double: she handed out nine assists. RECAP

Illinois' Ashley Spencer has been named to The Bowerman Women's 2013 Preseason Watch List, it was announced on Thursday. Spencer was named a semifinalist for the award in 2012, following a freshman season in which she won six Big Ten individual championships. The Indianapolis, Ind., native also earned Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships and Freshman of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

The Big Ten leads all conferences with four players named finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. Michigan's Trey Burke, Michigan State's Keith Appling, Minnesota's Andre Hollins and Ohio State's Aaron Craft are among the 20 players in the running for the award given to the nation's top college point guard. The full list of finalists appears below.

Three Big Ten student-athletes are among the names released on the preseason watch list for The Bowerman, it was announced on Wednesday. Indiana senior Derek Drouin was named to the 2013 Preseason Watch List, while Hoosier teammate Andy Bayer and Nebraska's Chad Wright received honorable mention status. The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.

#2/2 Michigan def. Nebraska, 62-47Recap & Box ScoreJunior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lift the University of Michigan men's basketball team over Nebraska, 62-47, Wednesday night inside Crisler Center. With the victory, U-M matched a program-best start to a season at 16-0.

Michigan's Trey Burke was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after averaging 21 points, 8.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals while shooting 61.5 percent from the floor, including 55.6 percent from three-point range. Burke is the second Big Ten player to earn the national honor this season, joining Illinois' Brandon Paul who received the award for the week of December 9. FULL STORY

The Big Ten enjoyed an extremely successful 2012 men's soccer season, capped by Indiana's record eighth NCAA title. The 2012 conference season was full of drama until the very end, as five teams were in the running for the Big Ten title going into the final weekend of play. Ultimately, Penn State and Northwestern shared the regular season title, while Michigan State captured the Big Ten Tournament crown.

NCAA Championship Success: Four Big Ten teams - Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern - earned berths to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship, the fifth time in the last six years at least four conference squads garnered bids to the tournament. Each of the four Big Ten teams won at least one game in the championships, while the Wildcats advanced to the third round. The tournament was highlighted by a historic run by the Hoosiers, as Indiana captured its record eighth national title and became the first No. 16 seed to win the crown. To read more about the Big Ten in the NCAA Championship, click here and here.

Big Ten Champions: Northwestern and Penn State each won shares of the 2012 Men's Soccer Big Ten Championship after earning 3-1-2 conference records. The Wildcats won the crown for the second consecutive season and the third time in program history, while the Nittany Lions earned their first title since 2005 and third overall. For more on the regular season conference champions, click here.

Big Ten Tournament Titans: Michigan State claimed the 2012 Big Ten Tournament title, knocking off Michigan in the championship match, 2-1, in overtime. The Spartans captured the crown as the No. 5 seed and earned their third title overall. For more on the 2012 Big Ten Tournament and All-Tournament Team, click here.

Conference Postseason Accolades: The conference announced its men's soccer All-Big Ten teams and individual award winners at the Big Ten Tournament banquet. Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta was the unanimous selection for Offensive Player of the Year. Northwestern's Chris Ritter earned the Defensive Player of the Year award, while teammate Joey Calistri was the unanimous choice for Freshman of the Year. Penn State's Bob Warming reeled in Coach of the Year honors. For more on the postseason awards and the complete All-Big Ten teams, click here.

In the Final Polls: Indiana and Northwestern earned rankings in the final NSCAA/Continental Tire poll of the season, as the NCAA Champion Hoosiers (16-5-3) sat atop the poll at No. 1 and the Wildcats (13-6-4) clocked in at No. 18. Michigan (11-10-1) and Michigan State (12-10-1) both received votes in the poll. For the complete final poll, click here.

Where We Rank: Four Big Ten student-athletes finished the season ranking in the top 10 nationally in various statistical categories. Michigan's Fabio Villas Boas Pereira was tied for first in the country in total assists (8), while teammate Adam Grinwis was tied for eighth in total saves (100). Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta ranked tied for third in total goals (18), sixth in total points (40) and tied for seventh in goals per game (0.75), while teammate A.J. Corrado ranked sixth in total assists. As a team, Indiana tied for seventh in shutout percentage (0.50) and ranked 10th in team goals against average (0.78). For the complete season's statistics, click here.

National Names: Several conference standouts were awarded nationally for their success on and off the field during the 2012 season. Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta garnered NSCAA All-America status and Soccer America MVP first team recognition, while teammateFemi Hollinger-Janzen and Northwestern'sJoey Calistriearned Soccer America freshman team honors. In the classroom, Michigan State'sKevin Cope was named NSCAA Scholar All-America and Penn State's Julian Cardona collected Capital One Academic All-America accolades from CoSIDA. Cardona was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District team, along with Indiana's A.J. Corrado.

Congrats Coach: Indiana head men's soccer coach Todd Yeagley was named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America. Yeagley led the Hoosiers to their eighth national title and a 16-5-3 record in just his third season at the helm of the program. He becomes the third Big Ten coach to win the honor in the past 10 years.

All-Region Recognition: Eleven men's soccer players were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Team, as five of the seven conference squads were represented on the list. Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta was awarded first-team honors, while teammates Nikita Kotlov and Caleb Konstanski were second and third team selections, respectively. Joining Kotlov on the second team was Michigan State's Kevin Cope, Northwestern's Nikko Boxall, Tyler Miller and Chris Ritter, Penn State's John Gallagher and Wisconsin's AJ Cochran. Michigan State's Adam Montague and Northwestern's Joey Calistri earned third-team accolades. For the complete All-Great Lakes Region team, click here.

Five Big Ten squads appear in the USTFCCCA/2013 Preseason Indoor Track
& Field Rankings, it was announced on Tuesday. Wisconsin checks in at No. 16, followed by No. 19 Michigan. Defending Big Ten Champion Nebraska sits at No. 21, Illinois is No. 22 and Michigan State is No. 23.

Four Big Ten teams appear in the USTFCCCA/2013 Preseason Indoor Track & Field Rankings, including two squads in the top 10. Defending Big Ten Champion Indiana checks in at No. 7, followed by No. 8 Minnesota. Wisconsin sits at No. 12, and Penn State is No. 18.

For the first time this season, eight Big Ten teams are ranked or receiving votes in one or both polls released by the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today. Penn State climbs one spot in each poll and appears at No. 8 this week. Purdue rises three spots in the coaches poll to No. 11 and two places in the AP ranks to No. 12, while Nebraska checks in at No. 23 in the coaches rankings. The Huskers are one of four Big Ten teams receiving votes in the media poll, joining Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State. Iowa and Ohio State join the Wolverines among teams also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

With bowl season complete, six Big Ten schools received votes in the final Associated Press (AP) or USA Today coaches polls, while four teams appeared among the top 25. The Big Ten and SEC were the only conferences to feature four or more top-25 teams in the final polls. Ohio State led the way for the Big Ten and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, the highest finish for a conference school since the Buckeyes concluded the 2006 campaign rated second in the country. It was the 10th straight season with at least one Big Ten team among the final top 10. After a victory in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Northwestern was voted No. 16 by the coaches and No. 17 by the media. The last time the Wildcats ended the season among the top 25 was following the 1996 campaign, when they were rated No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the coaches' rankings. Michigan and Nebraska also ended the season among the top 25, with the Wolverines rated No. 24 by the media and just outside the top 25 by the coaches and the Cornhuskers ranked No. 25 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the USA Today vote. Penn State and Wisconsin also received votes in the final polls.

Big Ten wrestling boasts 69 ranked wrestlers in this week's
InterMat College Rankings, with four grapplers holding the No. 1 ranking
in
their respective class. Iowa 125-pounder Matt McDonough, Ohio State
133-pounder
Logan Stieber, Iowa 157-pounder Derek St. John and Penn State 184-pounder
Ed Ruth each sit in the top spot in their
weight
class' rankings. The Big Ten also boasts four of the top five squads in
the team
rankings, as Penn State checks in at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Ohio State. The complete
breakdown of ranked Big Ten teams and wrestlers can be
found below.

Indiana head men's soccer coach Todd Yeagley has been named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America, it was announced Monday. Yeagley led the Hoosiers to their eighth national title and a 16-5-3 record in just his third season at the helm of the program. Yeagley becomes the third Big Ten coach to win the honor in the past 10 years, joining Joe Baum (Michigan State, 2008) and his father, Jerry Yeagley (Indiana, 2003).

Additionally, three Big Ten student-athletes earned individual accolades from Soccer America. Indiana's Eriq Zavaleta was named to the MVP first team and Femi Hollinger-Janzen earned All-Freshman second team recognition. Northwestern's Joey Calistri, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned All-Freshman first team honors.

Zavaleta was a unanimous selection for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in nearly every offensive category, while Hollinger-Janzen and Calistri were both named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team as forwards.

#2/2 Michigan def. Iowa, 95-67Recap & Box ScoreSophomore guard Trey Burke and freshman forward Glenn Robinson III each had double-doubles, and the University of Michigan men's basketball team shot 58.1 percent from the field and hit 10 three-pointers in a 95-67 rout of Iowa Sunday afternoon inside Crisler Center. Michigan remains unbeaten on the season at 15-0, one win shy of tying the program's best start, which is 16-0 in 1985-96.

Indiana 68, Northwestern 64Aulani Sinclair poured in 31 points and Simone Deloach skied for a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Indiana past Northwestern on Sunday afternoon, 68-64. The win gave IU its first Big Ten victory of the season. Jasmine McGhee added 14 points in the effort for the Hoosiers. RECAP

Michigan 68, Iowa 64Behind a career-best 26 points from senior forward Rachel Sheffer, the University of Michigan women's basketball team won its eighth straight contest, knocking of Iowa, 68-64, on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan's 13-2 start is the best start in program history. Senior guard Kate Thompson chipped in 19 points, 17 in the first half, with senior forward Nya Jordan going for seven points and seven rebounds. RECAP

Penn State 76, Michigan State 55The #9/9 Penn State Lady Lions shot 51.8% (29-56) from the field and held Michigan State to just 29.3% (17-58) shooting on the way to a dominating 76-55 win at the Breslin Center Sunday afternoon. Junior guard Dara Taylor paced four Lady Lions in double figures with a career-high 18 points. RECAP

Illinois 79, Ohio State 73Senior forward Karisma Penn scored a career-high 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to propel the University of Illinois to a 79-73 win over Ohio State, which was ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, in front of 4,516 fans at Value City Arena on Sunday. Penn made a school-record 16 free throws in 17 attempts as part of her second 30-point outing of the year and the Illini were unconscious from the free-throw line, shooting 88.2 percent (30-of-34) from the stripe. RECAP

Minnesota 60, Wisconsin 55The University of Minnesota women's basketball team picked up its first road win of the season with a 60-55 victory at Wisconsin Sunday afternoon. Micaella Riche and Kayla Hirt both scored in double-figures for the Golden Gophers, with Riche posting 14 points and eight rebounds, and Hirt adding 12 points and six rebounds. Rachel Banham was Minnesota's top rebounder, pulling down 10 boards to go along with nine points, four assists and four steals. RECAP

Purdue 69, Nebraska 66 (OT)Sam Ostarello had 17 points and a career-high 19 rebounds Saturday and No. 14 Purdue held off No. 25 Nebraska 69-66 in overtime. The Boilermakers never trailed in the extra period, but Ostarello's basket with 43 seconds left made it 68-66 Purdue. Courtney Moses and Drey Mingo also scored 17 points for Purdue in another close one between the schools. All three games between them have gone to overtime. RECAP

#18/18 Michigan State def. Purdue, 84-61Recap & Box ScoreFreshman Gary Harris scored a season-high 22 points, and No. 18 Michigan State used a 28-7 run in the second half to pull away for an 84-61 victory over Purdue on Saturday.

#11/14 Illinois def. #8/8 Ohio State, 74-55Recap & Box ScoreJust before halftime on Saturday, Illinois point guard Tracy Abrams crashed into the Ohio State bench chasing a loose ball. After bending over in pain for a long minute he hobbled off the court without the ball.

After a game of similar hard-nosed effort by Abrams and his teammates, the 11th-ranked Illini had a 74-55 blowout win over No. 8 Ohio State just days after dropping their Big Ten opener - and getting out-toughed, as Groce put it - to Purdue.

Iowa 77, Ohio State 71 (OT)Driven by a group of four scoring in double figures, the University of Iowa women's basketball team upset No. 24 Ohio State, 77-71, in overtime, on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The cast or kettle outlasted the predominantly one-Buckeye show of Tayler Hill, who scored 34 points -- 48 percent of her team's points. RECAP

Michigan 65, Indiana 48Three Wolverines scored in double figures as the University of Michigan women's basketball team opened the Big Ten schedule with a 65-48 win over Indiana on Thursday night (Jan. 3) inside Crisler Center. U-M used a 15-2 run that spanned the end of the first and beginning of the second halves to claim its seventh straight victory. RECAP

Michigan State 66, Minnesota 51The Michigan State women's basketball team used a strong second half to pull away from Minnesota 66-51 to win its Big Ten opener tonight at Breslin Center. Bench production was key for Michigan State, as Jasmine Hines, Kiana Johnson and Akyah Taylor combined for 35 points and 14 rebounds. Johnson led the way with 17 points, adding four assists (no turnovers) and three steals. Hines was 7-for-11 from the field for 15 points. Klarissa Bell added 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Jasmine Thomas posted seven points, eight rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals. RECAP

Penn State 73, Northwestern 69The #9/9 Penn State Lady Lions (11-2, 1-0 Big Ten) used a late rally to fend off the Northwestern Wildcats (8-6, 0-1) in their Big Ten opener by a score of 73-69 on Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Wildcats held a six-point advantage with 4:47 remaining in the contest, but Penn State closed the game on 17-9 run to seal the comeback victory. RECAP

Eight Big Ten men's tennis teams appear in the first Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, released on Thursday. Ohio State leads conference teams in the poll, checking in at No. 4. Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana all rank in the top 25, coming in at No. 16, No. 20, and No. 22, respectively. Minnesota sits at No. 35, while Northwestern clocks in at No. 41, Michigan State holds the No. 52 spot, and Nebraska rounds out conference teams in the poll at No. 74.

Individually, nine Big Ten men's tennis players and three doubles pairs have been ranked nationally in the ITA poll. The complete list of ranked Big Ten singles and doubles players can be found below.

Ten Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the first Campbell's/ITA National Rankings, released on Thursday. The conference is led by No. 13 Northwestern, while Michigan and Nebraska follow at No. 16 and No. 17, respectively. Illinois checks in at No. 24, while Purdue holds the No. 27 spot. Minnesota sits at No. 41, Indiana comes in at No. 49, Penn State is tied for No. 50, Ohio State claims No. 57, and Wisconsin rounds out the poll at No. 75.

Individually, nine Big Ten women's tennis players and four doubles pairs have been ranked nationally in the ITA poll. The complete list of ranked Big Ten singles and doubles players can be found below.

With the NFL playoffs beginning on Saturday, 80 former student-athletes from current Big Ten schools appear on the active rosters of playoff teams. The Big Ten is one of two conferences to have every school with at least two players on playoff rosters and eight Big Ten schools feature six or more standouts taking the field during the postseason.

Only 13 college football programs will feature 10 or more former players in the playoffs, including Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes lead all Big Ten teams and are third among all schools with 14 former student-athletes taking the field. The Hawkeyes and Badgers are tied for ninth nationally with 10 standouts each. Michigan State will be represented by nine student-athletes, Illinois and Nebraska each have seven players on playoff rosters, while Michigan and Penn State check in with six each. Purdue will have five players in the postseason, while Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern each have two.

No. 8/8 Ohio State def. Nebraska, 70-44Recap & Box ScoreDeshaun Thomas outscored Nebraska in the first half 18-17 and finished with 22 points to lead No. 8 Ohio State past the Cornhuskers 70-44 on Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Nebraska 70, Wisconsin 52Lindsey Moore scored 26 points and tied a career high with five three-pointers to lead the No. 25/19 Nebraska women's basketball team past Wisconsin, 70-52, in the Big Ten opener on Wednesday night. Emily Cady added 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career. Junior forward Jordan Hooper added 14 points, six rebounds and two steals, including three more three-pointers for the Huskers. RECAP

Illinois' Karisma Penn earned a host of honors following her 27-point, 19-rebound effort in the Illini's victory over previously undefeated Georgia last week. The senior won her fifth career Big Ten Player of the Week award and also claimed a pair of national honors by ESPNW and the USBWA. It marks the first national player of the week laurels for Penn, who is the lone conference standout averaging a double-double (19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds) this season.